Pallets are commonly used to secure durable goods during transport between various locations. Typically, a pallet comprises a square or rectangular load bearing surface or deck configured to receive goods for storage and transport. Sidewalls with ground contacting legs extend vertically below the deck forming a space or cavity suitable to engage various types of pallet transporting equipment such as hand pallet trucks, Walkie Pallet Jacks, forklifts, and the like. Pallet transportation equipment commonly includes two elongated forks known as “tines” which are inserted under the pallet deck and into the pallet cavity to raise the pallet off of the ground for transportation.
Recently, pallets with narrow elongated decks and high profile designs have become common place. These high profile pallets may have support decks which are 6 inches or higher above the ground. While advantageous in certain environments, the high profile design of these new pallets pose an inherent design issue that prevents them from being universally engaged and moved with standard warehouse material handling equipment. Narrow high profile design (HPD) pallets currently available can only accept warehouse material handling equipment that has been modified with attachments or adapters leading to added expenses and a loss in operation efficiencies. Some pallet transport operators may attempt to partially insert a single tine using traditional warehouse material handling equipment partially under a HPD pallet resulting in unsafe handling practices which is both dangerous and potentially costly to the distributor.
Another challenge for HPD pallet transport arises due to the inability to properly engage a HPD pallet from the lateral side as the equipment operator is often not able to gauge the appropriate depth of the lift tines into and through the pallet cavity. In these situations, it is common for the lift operator to engage and lift a pallet with the tines only partially through the pallet thus causing the pallet to be raised at an awkward angle which may damage or break the pallet and may even cause the contents on the pallet deck to fall.
Therefore, a need exists for improved pallets that are able to engage with traditional pallet transportation devices without the need for attachments or adapters. There is a further need for improved pallets that are able to accept standard tine and narrow tine warehouse handling equipment from all four sides.